The village of La Bañeza in Castilla y León suffered one of Spain’s worst forest fires in August. The fire destroyed 55,000 hectares of woodland, killed three people, and forced 8,000 to leave their homes. Nearby Villablino faced its own tragedy when five men died in a mining accident last March. Despite these hardships, both villages struck gold in the Spanish Christmas Lottery, known as El Gordo. The lottery’s winning ticket was sold in La Bañeza and Villablino, bringing hundreds of millions of euros to their residents. Javier Carrera, La Bañeza’s mayor, called the win “a cascade of emotions after such a terrible year.” He said, "Winning the lottery, as well as cause for joy and excitement, is something that has fallen from the heavens to a place that needs so much." El Gordo is famous for its huge prize and unique format. There are 100,000 numbers repeated 198 times in series, each split into tenths called décimos. Each décimo costs €20 and the winning décimo earns €400,000. La Bañeza sold 117 full series of the winning number, meaning €468 million will be shared by its 10,000 people. The lottery is known for its televised draw, where children chant numbers and prizes all day. A popular tradition around El Gordo is buying tickets in places recently hit by tragedy, hoping luck turns fortune around. After a year of devastation, luck has finally smiled on La Bañeza and Villablino.